TAT to open new overseas office in Guangzhou

BANGKOK, September 16 (TNA) - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will soon open a new overseas branch office in China’s Guangzhou City. TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni told journalists of the plan on Monday, after representing the TAT to receive PATA Gold Awards 2013 from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in China's Chengdu City on September 15. Suraphon acknowledged that the TAT's new office in China, in addition to its existing office in Chengdu, is aimed to not only promote the Thai tourism in the immense Chinese market, but also to attract more Chinese tourists to Thailand, particularly those with high purchasing power. According to the TAT governor, about 2.5 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand during the first half of this year, an over 90 per cent year-on-year leap, as a total of about 2.3 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in the whole 2012. The TAT governor estimated that a total of over 4 million Chinese tourists should visit Thailand by the end of this year, prompting the TAT to have developed tourism plans, as suggested by China’s leading travel agents, including increasing the number of Chinese-speaking tourist guides and communicating more with potential visitors through online PR channels. (TNA)